Spurs round-up: Ligue 1 star strikers rumoured; midfielder heads for exit?

Arguably Spurs’ most important signing of the summer has already been tied down early in the form of a five-year contract for Mauricio Pochettino, although rumors are doing the rounds that Spurs have made approaches for several players this summer.

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Perhaps the biggest potential signing; if the rumors are true, is Jonathan Calleri -an Argentine striker, currently at Boca Juniors – who, according to both Paulo Freitas, an established Brazilian and Latin American journalist, and Yahoo Sports has a verbal contract agreed with Tottenham. Calleri would prove able backup to Harry Kane, so the swoop for the Argentine would prove a sensible move – even more so when considering the developments of fellow Argentine Erik Lamela under Pochettino. Calleri has more in common with Lamela than just a nationality, too – Calleri’s infamous rabona goal in a 2-1 win over Quilmes makes Lamela’s against Greek minnows Asteras Tripolis look like child’s play.

From the sublime to the ridiculous now, as DiMarzio report that Spurs made an offer to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Doubtless, the Swedish striker would solve the lack of depth that Spurs have up front, yet this looks an essentially impossible move to pull off. Putting aside the fact that many believe he has almost signed for Manchester United, Ibrahimovic’s weekly wages be more than half the starting eleven’s combined, and it would take a brave man to make Harry Kane the second-choice striker at the club after two phenomenal seasons.

The rumour mill of Spurs arrivals ends with two Ligue 1 strikers, in Michy Batshuayi and Alexandre Lacazette. Both have been on Spurs’ radar for some time now, although both possibilities look to be gathering pace. Batshuayi himself has expressed a desire to play in the Premier League and confesses he ‘does not know’ whether he wants to stay with current club Marseille. It looks likely that Spurs will have to overcome competition from London rivals West Ham for Batshuayi’s signature, but the allure of Champions League football will surely help in this regard.

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Lacazette, on the other hand, has stated that he wishes to play in the Champions League with a ‘club with a project’ according to French twitter account @ActuFoot_ – the latter phrase being of real significance as ‘long term project’ has been brought up several times by Pochettino at press conferences and in interviews. From a Spurs perspective, this looks promising, although no developments have been made at this early stage.

From arrivals to departures, it appears that Ryan Mason’s Tottenham career is over. Interest from Bournemouth and Crystal Palace; with a fee of around £4 million, is likely to see the English midfielder moved on. The club may also be prepared to sell Korean international Heung Min-Son just a year after purchasing him from Bayer Leverkusen, although are very unlikely to allow him to leave for less than the £20 million they paid for him, according to the Guardian. Whilst on the surface, this appears quite an irrational decision, especially after an injury-hit season, Son’s lacklustre performance against Newcastle may be the tipping point. The Korean remains highly rated in Germany and so a move back to the Bundesliga looks likely if Spurs can recoup the fee they paid.